Brain 'X-ray' exposes broken connections after injury

Just like an X-ray reveals fractured bones, a new imaging technique can now pinpoint broken connections in the brain resulting from injuries for the first time.

Developed by Walter Schneider and a team from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, the technology, called high definition fibre tracking (HDFT), allows doctors to visualise breaks in bundles of fibres, called fibre tracts, that connect different parts of the brain and control functions like language and limb movement. "Until now, there was no objective way of identifying how the injury damaged the patient's brain tissue, predicting how the patient would fare or planning rehabilitation to maximise the recovery," says neurosurgeon David Okonkwo, a member of the team.

To generate the vivid brain images, computer algorithms process data captured from a sophisticated MRI scan. The pictures reveal forty major cables in the brain which can be dissected virtually to pinpoint a damaged area. The injured region can then be compared to the healthy side of the brain to quantify the proportion of severed fibres and thus the degree of connection that has been lost. This detail can help predict how a patient will recover from an injury.

The technique is already being used to supplement conventional imaging, helping to plan the removal of tumours or vascular abnormalities in the brain.